Latest Trend: Rainbow Loom Bracelets

Remember friendship bracelets? All of those spools of embroidery thread? Making the Chinese Staircase or the Diamond (full disclosure: I could never quite get the diamond quite right) You would knot your strings and pin it to your pants so you could work on your creation anywhere, and had holes in most of the knees of your jeans… Those were the days!

It seems that there’s a new trend for boys and girls aged 8-12: Rainbow Loom Bracelets.

At first glance Rainbow Loom Bracelets look a little like rainbow snakes – but they’re all the rage.

You can pick up a kit that should include the following:

A plastic pegboard measuring 2″ by 8″
Crochet hook
C-shaped fasteners,
600 small rubber bands in assorted colors

I’ve posted a tutorial below for your to check out, but basically Rainbow Loom Bracelets are 3D, intricate and incredibly fun to make — and I believe it. You know something is popular when there are companies trying to knock-off your product. From what I gather though, you’re supposed to loop these tiny rubber bands around the loom with a crochet hook in a specific fashion effectively knotting them together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLliZabkHZ0

A quick warning however, there are a ton of loose rubber bands so if you have pets (or expensive vacuums) make sure that your child knows the dangers of leaving them scattered around.